Unapologetic Rep. Wilson Addresses the House

By Paul Kane and Ben Pershing
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), under fire since his shout of "You lie!" at President Obama during last week's presidential address to Congress, took to the House floor Monday afternoon but did not offer the public apology that Democratic leaders have been demanding to avert a vote to reprimand the lawmaker later this week.

Instead, Wilson, who has been hailed as a hero by conservative activists -- and whose supporters have filled his campaign coffers with nearly $1 million in less than a week -- gave a short summary of the town-hall meetings he held on the proposed health-care legislation during the August recess.

"During my 25 years of serving the public in the state senate and Congress, I have not seen such passionate events full of patriots, 95 percent of whom support health-insurance reform but not a government takeover," Wilson said during the daily "one-minute" speeches lawmakers are allowed to give at the start of each day's session.

The quick speech delivered to a near-empty chamber were Wilson's first remarks on the House floor since interrupting Obama's speech with shouts of "You lie!" and "Not true!" He ended with a verbal salute to the military troops serving in Afghanistan.

Wilson's remarks will do little to appease Democratic leaders, particularly House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who has led the push to reprimand Wilson for a breach of conduct if he refuses to offer a public apology from the well of the House chamber.

Wilson said on "Fox News Sunday" that he was done apologizing, having spoken with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel Wednesday night, and on Thursday Obama said publicly that he accepted Wilson's apology. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also told reporters Thursday morning that she wanted to move on from the heated talk of Wilson accusing Obama of lying and instead to focus on the health-care debate.

Girding for a vote on the Wilson resolution, perhaps as early as Tuesday, his conservative GOP colleagues came to his defense immediately after his remarks during the one-minute sessions. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) read Pelosi's Thursday statement into the record and came close to accusing her of lying by going back on that initial statement and now supporting a resolution of disapproval.

"What's it called when somebody says something they're going to do, and then they don't do it? What is that statement?" Gohmert asked rhetorically.

Others noted Obama's acceptance of the apology. "That must be the end of it. No one has a claim to any further redress if the president of the United States accepts his apology," said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).

When any of us make a statement in public then you publicly apologize. He said the statement publicly to the president and yes he apologized to the president but now must apologize to the public and the rest of the house.

He is supposed to set an example and he is setting a very poor one with his naughty behavior that was unbecoming. Now he is catering to the few activist and upholding disrespectful behavior.

Wilson owes the INSTITUTION - Congress - an apology. For House leaders of either party to allow Wilson to go w/o censure should he refuse to apologize to the Congress and his colleagues, would be a dereliction of their duty and responsibility.

Otherwise we shall be "treated" to displays such as Wilson's - and worse - in the future. Nip this in the bud. Censure Wilson!

Mr. Wilson needs to apologize for his disrespect for the Office of the President. This should never be permitted when the President is speaking regardless of who holds the office. He needs to do this on the House floor, or he needs to be censured for his failure to do so.

The issue is Wilson does not simply owe an apology to Obama for insulting him during his speech. He also owes an apology to congress for an unacceptable disruption in procedure. That has nothing to do with Obama and requires another apology. It is inappropriate that Wilson should find political gain in violating congressional decorum. If he is not forced to apologize or otherwise reprimanded, then others may later do the same to fill their own coffers.

I agree -- Wilson breeched the rules of decorum in a most egregious way and owes an apology to the House. Pre-1860 this same behavior would have meant he would have been challenged to a duel. His apology to Obama was hardly gracious--he prefaced it by saying more powerful Republicans were making him do it. The man's pathetic--he puts Glenn Beck's approval above common decency.

Apologize to the liars in Congress? What a joke. You sanctimonious turds. Is Nancy Pelosi going to apologize for lying about The CIA lying to her? Is Obama going to apologize for not posting all bills on the internet for 5 days prior to voting on them? Give me a break. Why don't the members of congress instead of worrying about who said sorry to who start representing us? Get to work before we throw you all out.

I failed to hear the apologies from Democrats in Congress for booing President Bush at the State of the Union Address in 2005 or a public apology for the boos the crowd gave Bush at the Inaugration this past winter. When will any of you hypocrites accept that this disrespect isn't one sided? Liberals have done worse for 8 years and I failed to hear any of you complain!

Sorry, but I do not believe that he owes any further apology, especially to the house. He apologized to the President and he accepted. End of story! Maybe they can go back to one of Bushes Congressional conference and see how they booed and hissed in 2006. Seems to me that Barack Obama and Pelosi were in attendance. I don't recall anyone apologizing to the President or to Congress for that outburst! But, I guess liberals are never accountable for anything! I am an Independent voter, so I do not take sides in general. This one I will!

He was rude to the President and apologized. He violated the rules of conduct, formal rules of behavior that members of Congress are required to adhere or face disciplinary action. He can apologize the the Executive branch all he wants (or was forced to by his own leadership). Now he needs to apologized to the legislative branch, his own colleagues.

Fear, Hatred, Distortion, Distraction and Division. That's all Republicans have to offer.

Please site some examples of "fear, hatred, distortion, distraction, and division". We have cited exampes of hypocracy above. When are the people of this country going to quit making excuses for their side? They are all guilty. We laugh and enjoy it when the "other side" stumbles, but so often blindly defend our corruption. Can we have America back please.

Rep. Wilson should be embarrassed by his actions. Instead he has taken his 15 seconds of fame and used it to raise more than a million dollars in campaign funds.

How can any constructive debate take place when the supposed leaders of our country act like preschoolers? It is no wonder the legislative branch is held is such low esteem by the voters. What a disappointment.

Why is it all of a sudden that we have such a decency problem? GWB was treated like total dog mess and no one, especially the newspapers, questioned it. Why is it, if Obama is portayed as Hitler on a poster, it's racist, offensive. But when it was done numeous times, no one said anything. The road goes both ways. This president gives no respect to the taxpaying citizens.

Why is it OK for liberals to treat the office of the president so poorly and get away with it but anyone other than liberals (myself an independent), cannot? I THOUGHT it was still a free country.

Oh, and how come no one apologize for boo'ing GWB? Or trotting in Cindy Sheehan? That was appalling. Typical low-class Dems. I guess you can't change a leopard's spots.

Wilson needs to step aside from his position in Congress. He represents the most contemptible aspects of America's racial divide. Mr. Wilson is proud that he, a son of the south, showed no respect for a duly elected president. Maybe that attitude wins him accolades in South Carolina, but from where I sit, he's not worthy of representing anybody in a civilized society. The GOP is playing with dynamite if it thinks that taking the rabid John Birch Society approach is going to save them as a political entity. Rather, they will be relegated to the trash heap of history's failed parties. Republicans need to draw a line in the sand and go no farther with this type of racist.

Dear press people: Quit being lapdogs to Obama & the liberal Dems and start being watchdogs like you are supposed to be. We have the most Orwellian President and Congress ever. You are supposed to help prevent big government from becoming tyrannical, instead, you are complicit with a probably disaster that is about to happen.

While there is no doubt that Obama was lying with every word he spoke, I would never be so rude as to indulge in such an outburst and find it embarrassing that Wilson indulged himself. Nevertheless, I find myself entirely unwilling to condemn his lapse; because, yes, politics has degenerated to precisely this level and it wasn't Wilson who brought it to this point. That honor belongs to the very Democrats who now want to expolit this for purely political purposes.

People can bemoan the fact of political degeneracy all they want, either sincerely or disingenuously, but it is an undeniable fact and has been for a very long time. Worse, the degenerate nature of political discourse fits the divisive politics of the age. Obama and his leftist cohort in congress aren't merely making policy proposals, they are seeking to unilaterally finish the job of transforming America into a social democracy, a transformation worthy of revolution rather than mere disrespect.

Doesn't the President owe us an apology for his dishonesty. Does political correctness and decorum demand we sit politely by while the President lies to the nation. The President's plan for health care reform will increase taxes, will increase the deficits, will lead to rationing, will lead to cuts in Medicare, will cause many people to lose their health insurance whether they want it or not, panels will be created to decide what proceedures and medications will and will not be provided for, the decisions made by these panels will lead to the needless death of some patients, none of the existing proposals included enforcement provisions to prevent illegal aliens from receiving health care and if it passes will probably provide health care to illegal aliens even if it does! I say three cheers for Joe Wilson. Hip hip horay! Hip hip horay! Hip hip horay!

There are more democrats in this country and money won't help any republican right now. Let Willson be, but next one who screams stupid things out of order, punish him or throw him out of house. There are rules in there, and on TV, its not good to break them.

I see the Left is still touting the myth of Bush lying about the WMD's.

What did our current vice-President have to say on the matter?

Biden on Meet the Press in 2007, on Hussein’s WMDs: "Well, the point is, it turned out they didn’t, but everyone in the world thought he had them. The weapons inspectors said he had them. He catalogued — they catalogued them. This was not some, some Cheney, you know, pipe dream. This was, in fact, catalogued."

Throw that rascal Wilson out of the House. Since we are setting all kinds of new precedents in this "change" in Washington, how about one where the Speaker of the House can defy the will of the electorate and send a member of the opposite party back home and ask the citizens to try again -- until they get one the Speaker likes (preferably of the majority party so we don't have this discussion stuff that just gums up the works since Congress has the new role of "passing an agenda".)

The last I heard, the guy apologized to the President and the President accepted. However, there does have to be something to deter other uncontrolled mouths from yelling at the wrong time -- and a President speaking is the wrong time.

The tiny Party of No and ignorant, xenophobic, and bigoted angry white guys is over. The base boorish behavior of the Joe Wilson’s, the loony Birthers, delusional Tenthers, and Tea Party rubes has been rejected by the civilized. Isolated to the most ignorant in every State and only the majority in the most ignorant old Confederate States. Captive of the selfish rich, the vulnerable under educated and skilled both blue and white collared, nitwit gun nuts, zany cults, and various whack job haters and societal losers the Republican Party, like Judy’s, Wicked Witch, is shrrrinking.

The present and future majority in America, the young, the educated, woman, and minorities vote Democrat. Like the dinosaurs before them, adios and good riddance to the Party of ignorance, intolerance, xenophobia, haters, losers, and NO.

Congress as an institution has two centuries of precedent to look to. Wilson ought to be disciplined in a manner consistent with precedent, without regard to his political explanations or personal apologies.

That said, his outcry was despicable.

No man his age and in his position should be unable to control his emotions in a public setting. He had an audience that was there solely to see and hear the President speak, not to play a phoney game of "town hall." It was the height of conceit for him to seek to exploit that forum for his own cheap gain.

A man with moral courage would have shown some dignity and sat silently. Since he has shown he is lacking that, he would have been better off staying home.

Deep down, Wilson is proud of his Tourette's-like outburst and is actively trying to gain political mileage from his behavior.

Our leaders are supposed to lead by example, and his conduct and comments are essentially embracing the rude, loutish, in-your-face behavior of those who attend town hall meetings for the sole purpose of preventing any civil discourse from occurring.

It is already unlawful to ask patients their citizenship status and that will not change with "reform." In fact, more illegals will get health care after the "reform" bill is passed because their will be more funds in the system when everyone (except the illegals) is required to buy health insurance. The illegals will continue to go to the "emergency" room for treatment (that is anything but an emergency) and they will get admitted into the hospital to treat them for chronic disorders that they have had for many years and the government will foot the bill at taxpayers expense.

Make all indigent patients go to county hospitals for non-emergent care because that's what these facilities are for.

I see the Left is still touting the myth of Bush lying about the WMD's.

What did our current vice-President have to say on the matter?

Biden on Meet the Press in 2007, on Hussein’s WMDs: "Well, the point is, it turned out they didn’t, but everyone in the world thought he had them. The weapons inspectors said he had them. He catalogued — they catalogued them. This was not some, some Cheney, you know, pipe dream. This was, in fact, catalogued."

Tomorrow the Democrats should proceed to vote a public censure of Joe Wilson, the South Carolina hillbilly redneck Republican. Wilson has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is an ignorant and bigoted racist utterly lacking in education and civility. He needs to have his face rubbed in the dirt and his fellow Republicans need to be taught some manners as well. If Wilson remains defiant after being censured, the House should expel him for violation of its rules and disgracing the Congress as a whole.

Wilson is like the rest of the GOP "base": angry and teed off that an African-American man would be smart enough and have the hutzpah to run for and win the highest office in the land. That is why the tea-baggers rant with rage in Washington this past weekend: it is not about healthcare reform. It is not about government spending. It is not about what they pretend to be angry about (otherwise they would have been so when George W. Bush ran the country from a surplus to a deficit and lied about WMDs in Iraq). These folks do not appreciate the fact that a African-American man is in charge.

It's no wonder there's no respect for each other in America today. When you behave the way Mr. Wilson did you should apologise to the Congress AND to the American people. This is no way to set an example for our children to behave. It may be ok in the House of Commons but that's a different animal and it's not done with the viciousness that was displayed on Wednesday night. He should be tarred and feathered, hung out to dry!!!!!

Let Congress censor Mr. Wilson. Then, Mr. Wilson will rebut and take the stage again. Will the networks cover this in prime time and have the flags flying, the bands playing and while giving this Mr. Wilson "The Honesty in Government" Award. (He's the only one who has the nerve to earn it!)

As for McCain, he should be drummed out of the GOP! What a freekin' mess he is!

Now really. Would you expect anything different from an uncivilized person.

This no longer about the fake apology given Obama. The "House Floor" has rules. Even the visitors gallery has rules for vistors. If vistors make a scene during floor business they will be escorted out of the chambers. The President does not police the House. The House polices itself. C-span: "Words Taken Down is the House rule used to discipline a member for using inappropriate words in debate.
After the words are "taken down" by the clerk and read back, the chair rules on their suitability.
If ruled inappropriate, the member may not speak again on the same day without House permission."
Wilson ought to be ban for from speaking on the house floor for the rest of the year. The decorum of the House should be respected at all times. This is not a town hall meeting. This is a joint session of congress. If there is no order than there is Chaos. This behavior must be nipped in the bud. And by the way, the folks from South Carolina that I know don't act this way.

Despite being against government health care, and then paying lip service about the awesomeness of government-run TRICARE, Wilson's voted to underfund it.

In 2007, Wilson was against $1.9 billion for military medical care (including funds for Walter Reed) and in 2005 voted against expanding TRICARE eligibility for our Guard and Reserve components, despite the fact that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has them fighting alongside the active component more than ever before.

Does the Retired Lt Colonel have Tri-care for life or single payer health care?

Anybody see the fraud that's being circulated on the internet. The tea baggers supporters have put up a picture supposely showing the marchers numbering 1 to 2 million people. (the real number is around 50,000) Problem is its a fake. Its a picture showing of the million man march.

Republicans think that the reality of a black President allows them to flaunt precedent. What did you expect from people taught to dismiss, distrust and disrespect people of a different color? Rep. Wilson cannot distance himself from his useless predjudices. Of course he should be sanctioned so that society at large is reminded that bigotry has no place in our Democracy!

I hope the libs go ahead with the vote in the House to sanction Joe. It will lower their ratings and give the public another reason to vote for the other party. Why has the house and senate both said they were going to put in language that eliminates the illegals from participation in the health care program. Maybe the president did stretch the true somewhat.

why should Mr. Wilson apologize for telling the truth? it was ok for Obama to call Palin a liar on nat'l tv(if she was a liar then why were the death panels removed? you cant remove something that's not there.)but yet when Wilson calls Obama on his lie he is torn apart. Again if there was nothing in the bill about illegals getting healthcare then why did the committee remove it? there was a time when the rules stated that whenever the President spoke to a joint session there was to be no clapping,standing,or any vocal outbursts. over the years the rule has never be enforced. so is Wilson is to be censured &/or fined for his outburst then all democrats need to receive the same punishment. if not,the evening was nothing more than a DNC rally & the American people should not pay for any of it. the democrats have no trouble making up the rules as they go along.

Posted by: ibail "When you behave the way Mr. Wilson did you should apologise to the Congress AND to the American people. This is no way to set an example for our children to behave. It may be ok in the House of Commons but that's a different animal and it's not done with the viciousness that was displayed on Wednesday night. He should be tarred and feathered, hung out to dry!!!!!"
and where the hell were you when the libs booed and said things out loud to Bush? was that ok with you? why not now? are you all going to keep pushing the f___'in race card? It is getting extremely old. (and, no, I not some "whitey")

Joe Wilson needs to give a public apology in the House, whose rules and standards of proper behavior he violated during the president's speech. His apology to Pres Obama at the urging of Rahm Emmanuel was made and was also necessary. He certainly shouldn't be taking comfort from the surge in contributions to his campaign from like-minded peers; as a congressman, he should hold himself to a higher level of civility and manners as an example to his constituents and the American people. Is this too much to ask of someone who is contributing to the coarseness of the political discourse? Of course not.

I don't think you understand...many, many people are FINALLY starting to know exactly how our Congress functions. that is the whole point!!! fraud, tax cheats (hello? mr. rangel, mr. gietner, etc., etc., I believe you owe uncle sam some $), ACORN lovers, and yeah, liars. shall I go on???

Come On kansasgirl, this ain't kansas. None of us ought to justify bad behavior. And speaking of ACORN, I want to see the tapes that showed Acorn refusing to help the pimp and prostitute, including the one in Philadephia where the police was called. Show the righteous as well as the unrighteous.

I think that Joe Wilson should offer to apologize right after Nancy Pelosi apolgizes for lieing about the CIA, or Harry Reid apologizes for telling everybody that the war is lost before the surge was successful, or John Kerry apologizes for saying that our military is killing women and children in the dead of night, or after John Murtha apolgizes for the littany of false statements he has made about our military. To demand Joe Wilson apologize twice (even after the President has accepted his apoloby), and not demand any apology from these people is the epitome of hipocrisy and intellectual dishonesty.

He already gave an apology and Obama accepted it. I am behind calling the play like it is, regardless of the political party. I did not believe Bush was truthful about the Iraq "intel" and I have not agreed with Obama's statement that illegal aliens will not get "public option" health insurance. That is what I would label Nonpartisan disagreement.

The next time Joe Wilson is asked about his remark he should say that he apologized to Obama and he has nothing more to say on the subject. (Nancy Pelosi said that when she accused the CIA of lying.) Enough! It is time to clean up the corruption in Washington. Until that is done, nothing should be passed or approved.

I’m a veteran and I’m appalled at Joe Wilson's behavior to the President of the United States of America. We would expect that behavior from a 2 year old, not an ADULT! If Joe Wilson can’t contain his disrespect and emotions in front of the President, what else is he doing behind the scenes that the people of South Carolina and the rest of America don’t know about? I think he should be sanctioned and possibly removed from office. That behavior is not what we need as an example to our children. Being passionate about an issue doesn’t excuse poor choices; just ask the millions of people sitting in jail cells today where their passionate and emotional choices got them.

So, President Obama accepted the apology. Good, that shows a great amount of decorum on his part. However, under section 370 of the House Rules and Manual it has been held that a Member could not call the President a liar. So, not only does he owe an apology to the President, which he has half-heartedly given and taken back as much as he could, he also owes the House of Representatives an apology if only to prevent it from exacting punishment under its own rules. I feel he owes the country an apology for his rudeness, but there's no law against that to impel him to comply.

First,I would like to suggest that Paul Kane take notice, this "joint" article contained no reference to "black" identy when refering to a person, or no reference to "racisim" as the cause of this dispute!

I would like to THANK Ben Pershing for his, obvious influence in this matter!

I read Kane's column first, I went looking for his "comment" section, which was not available! Then I read SAME facts in this article, it was like "night & day" as to who is helping to STIR the "RACIAL" pot in the country.

Mr. Kane, I hope you are aware that your "words" speak volumes about your position on this "deepest of all" wounds in this country,If this statement is not true, I appologize, but your "words" are what we the people use to evaluate your motives.

Mr. Pershing, thank you for your article,
the difference in the two articles was so stark, I had to write this.

Gentelmen, I read every "comment" before I wrote, I did not see one reference to,
or use of, the terms "black, or racisim"!!

just like the post,and ny times,cnn,cbs,abc,nbc,what loons. where id=s the outrage over ACORN??? what are we talking about wilson for? most of you havent heard about acorns latest attempt to help set up a brothel,where illegal immagrant 13 year olds are to be used for sex,because you want to bury your heads in the sand,and say its ok as long as obamas people are doing it. if this were a republican organization,you would have morals all of a sudden. 4 filmed incedents in a week,and its ok. even a few of your senators stuck up for acorn,while not caring that there are a lot of these places in business,in actuality.hoyer even attacked the filmmaker,and his assistant. what a bunch of low life spineless people. one word comes to mind,HYPOCRITES

One of our members of Congress made a very pointed statement when he said, " The sign of a good education is good manners." What does that say of Mr. Wilson? House Rules are made to be obeyed. If your child blatantly disobeyed your "house rules", would'nt you expect an apology? The principle is the same. When disrespect goes uncensored and undisciplined, but REWARDED... then we have opened the door future disorder which leads to anarchy. This is not just about disrespecting the office of the President, its about respecting the position that Mr. Wilson himself holds, and respect for his constituents. We have a right to demand more from our elected officials because they represent us. Hopefully, one day Mr. Wilson will see this for himself and do the right thing, "ask to be forgiven."